Rotary floor-scrubbing machine



W. S. FINNELL.

ROTARY FLOOR SCRUBBING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT 23, I917.

1 4g31 ,1@9n mmm (m. 31 11922,

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

W. S. FINNELL.

ROTARY FLOOR SCRUBBING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 00123. 1917.

1L ,kgglGQ Patented Oct 31, 19220 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

vv. s. FINNELL. ROTARY FLOOR SCRUBBING MACHINE.

I APPLICATION FILED OCT 23, 19H. LIgQAQQ Patented Oct. 3L 1922,

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

IIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIII M/m $59 M s51, Ji 7601' arts-Lan s Patented 49st. 3T T922.

UNETEE stares PATENT @FFECCE.

WALTER S. IETNNJELL, OF HANNIJBAL, MISSOURI, ASSTGNOR TO AMERICAN SORUBBING' EQ'UTPR'EENT COMPANY, OF HANNIBAL, llITSSOURI, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

V. ROTARY FLOOR-SCRUBBING MIACHINE.

Application filed October 23, 1917. Serial No. 198,038.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, WALTER S. FINNELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hannibal, in the county of Marion and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Floor- Scrubbing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in rotary scrubbing machines for scrubbing the surface of fioo k In the type of machine to which these improvements areapplicabl'e rotary brushes are sustained pendantly from a frame which is mounted on wheels that traverse the floor surface that is to be scrubbed. I 1

The improvements will first be described and the invention will then be claimed.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates the invention, 7

Fig. 1, shows a side elevation of the floorscrubbing machine the handlebeing placed in its operative position where it serves to push the machine, and. is also shown by broken lines tilted forward.

Fig. 2, is a top plan view of the machinebase and engine cover, all mounted on two wheels, the drawing being on a larger scale.

than in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3, isa side elevation of the mach ne in which the handle is tilted from the operative position partly forward.

Fig. 4, is a vertical section of the machine and the, circular scrub-brush drawn on a larger scale than Fig. 4, the handle being in the operative position to push the machine.

Fig. 5, is a plan view of the machine-base and circular bufier.

Fig. 6, shows an inverted or bottom view of the circular-Shaped brush and its cam fastening devices.

Fig. 7, is a perspective view of one of the one-quarter sections of the circular-brush.

' Referring now to the drawing for a description of the parts the numeral, 8, designates the base-plate on which an electric motor 9, having a rectangular shape as shown by broken lines in Fig.2, is carried; over the motor is a cover, 10, which is shown partly broken away at one'side.

The motor 9, is confined to its seat on the base-plate, 8, by bolts that pass through holes, 19, in the said plate.

The base is suitably supported on two wheels 11, and has at eachside thereofan up-turned flange 12, whose forward ends curve upwardly at 13. and then extend forward Where said ends sustain a ring 14. From the base of this ring there projects a horizontal flange 15 and a cushion 16 of some elastic material, such as rubber is clamped to the flange by a ring-plate 17, and screws, 18. The circular-shaped plate with the cushioned edge, 16, serves as a bufl'er and takes the knocks when the machine at the time of moving over the floor may strike against an obstruction. I

The shaft, 20, of the motor, see Fig. 4 and also broken lines in Fig. 2, has a coupling, 21, that-connects with a worm-shaft, 22; the worm, 23, engages the worm-gear, 24, which turns in a horizontal plane; this wheel is made fast to an upright shaft, 25, and the wheel has a hub, 26, whose upper side is provided with a circular groove which forms part of the race of a ball-bearing; the other circulargroove's to complete the ball-bearing are shown in Fig. 4', and will be readily understood. The worm wheel, ball-bearing and shaft are all enclosed in a circular box, 27, whose lower rim-edge, 28, sets down and within the ring, 14, attached to the baseplate, 8. The circular box has a cover, 29, secured by screws, 30, and within the box is a tight bottom, 31, whichbox forms a grease chamber, '32,.and the cover of the box has a hole closed by a screw-plug, 33. The hole and screw-plug provide for charging the worm-gear-enclosing box with grease.

The upright shaft, 25, has its upper portion round, as at, 34, and its lower portion I and end flattened, as at 35, for purposes that will now be explained. -The round part of this shaft turns in a stuffing-box attached to the bottom, 31, of the grease-chamber, 32, and the flat end projects below. In this instance the screw-threaded boss-36, of the stufiing-box is the part that is integrally attached to said chamber-bottom, .31, and a ring-shaped screw-cap, 37 fits snugly on the round part of the shaft, 25, and the screwthreads of the cap engage the threads of said boss, 36, leaving theentire flattened end, 35, of the :shaftprojecting below the stufiingbox. The packing, 38, is shown in Fig. 4; this stufling-box prevents oil escaping from the grease chamber and then dripping on the floor that is being scrubbed.

The scrub brush is preferably circular in shape, and consists of a plurality of sections .39, say threeor four, in the present. instance I four, are indicated by broken lines in Fig. 6. The scrub brush has a metal top with a circular down-flanged rim, 40;this top atthe center has acavity, 41, en its lower side and a correspondlng convex format1on42, on its upper side.- It will be seen in Fig. 4 that the down-flanged rim, 40, inclines inwardly and engages a groove 45, in the wood back of the brush-sections. The center of the convex part has a hole, 43, which loosely receives the lower flat end, 35, of said upright shaft, and a cotter pin, 44, through the flat an uneven floor.

end secures the metal top-holder and scrubbrush from dropping ofl said flat end. This" construction permits the circular scrub brush to have a free wabbling movement on One of the wood-block brush-sections, 39, is 'shown in Fig. 7. It will 'befseen the wood block has one ofits longdges, 46, straight and said "edge is provided with a slot, 47; the opposite side of the block is' {curved as at 48, from end to end, and this curved edge has the groove '45, which is engaged by the turned-down circular rim 40, as seen in Fig. 4, Y Thetwo opposite ends 49 of the wood block, 39, are cut to an. angle.

' correspondin with the radial lines-era circle of which the said curved edge,- 48,

of block 39, is an arc. fiaid angle ends,

49, are plainly shown in Fig. 7 and. are

also indleated by broken; lines in Fig. -6.-'

. When the several brush-sections- 39, areassembled together,'whatever number of sec-r tionsrmay be employed, said plural sections will .together form a circular brush, and

the circular turned-down rim 40 will surround the several brush-sections like a hoop and all the sections may then be expanded from the center or forced b the cams out wardly against the turne -downv rim, as'

' presently described,- which expansion will cause the groove 45., on the curved ed e of each brush-section to engage inc ined down-rim, 40, as-in Fig. 4. v a There are as many cams, 50, brush sections 39; each cam is pivoted on a bolt,

. 51, and located at the lower surface of the m l= =u. fmearplate that has the down- 1 flanged .40. Eachcam has a thumbpiece, 52, which nables a .erson" withhis hand to operate he cam."

When the several brush-sections, 39,. are

I e eam+face is j mtended to take 'efl'ect in theslot, 47-, formed on-the straight edge ofeach brush-section.

in proper position to be fastened, the slot, 47, of each brush will be immediately opposite one cf the cams 50; then by turning, the several -cams each. cam face' will enter the slot opposite it and will produce two results, first, all thebrush-sections', 39, will i be forced outwardly from the center causing'the curved groove 45, on. each sectiontoxengage the-said down-rim or hoop,40,.

When the-machine is not inusethe'stretch of cable 62, tliat is to connect with-i a socket (and not shown) may be woundabout the 2 and ser zond, the of the camfaces, '50, withthe slots, 47, 'ongthe' brushsections will securely vfasten and hold: said brush-sections from getting loose.

f A handle consists of aItubularv push-rod,

of each prong .provi'de'dgwitha suitable eye or ring, 55, thatjengagesthespindlebolt, 56, on which the wheel, 11, turns; Each bif furca tion',.'54,v is providedadja'cent its eye or ring, 55, {with a laterally projecting arm 57-, shown in Fig. *1 and. indicated in Fig. 3. I by broken lines... -'Thi'slateral armprojects downwardly when the =-han dle- "53, is in the pushing position, .se'en in Fig. {1,I'and' when in' this downward position said lateral arm. .I

57, contacts withiaj stud-'or- --pin, '58, which stops any furtherdown, movement of the.- arm or the handl'e,}53,' and the handle will beheld up in its operative or inclined si-.-

tionto push; Again, when ,thehandle isinthe position seen intFig. .3,eor 1n the-broken inclined reartvard-andflpward, and out of operative positiom; as likewisealso. is the -handle itself.

line position in Fig. '1 the lateral arm,-57 is '1 ".The "handle 53, v v spaced-apart hook-prongs 59iand- 60 about which the cable 'that conducts current to the. motor-may be coiled, asj,will,.' presently be 60,1; as '10- 1'1 thej latterg-is 1 .1 0; whenthe machine is not -in use, see broken I 1' i lines Fig.1, said hook -pron 60 will engage T a latch 61, thatwill' hold't ehandle down and the handle and machinef'parts will be Thefrontpart of the niachinemaytheh be tilted upitoliftthe brush: from; the floor, H and the machine may then be. rolled over i explained. The hook-prong cated on the handle that w e i I swung forwardly over the boxcover 1'29,

locked against independent rockingmotion.

the floor withthe brushelevated. v Current for driving the'mot'or, is conveyed endv of the cable being provided wltha' plug,

not; shown, for engagement with an eon- I venlent, electric socket connection. ranch wires, 63, are'connected with the-cable and motor and*extend up through the hollow handle 53, to a push-button switch 64, in I the upper end thereof so that the current the motor maybe readily controlled.

two hook p'rongs,59, and 60, and thus such stretch of. the cable is. kept in' 'good 'fcondition, and the machine may be movedfrom j place to place with the cable so wound.

' While in describingthe struetureoflthisn" I machine the expression floor s crubhingfl n has been used, nevertheless it is to be understood that a machine of thislstructure is not 70 5.3, withone' .end "freei-and thei attached end having -two prongs or bifurcations, 54, that, straddle the engine cover, 10, and one end provided two";

only capable of scrubbing a floor, but it is also capable "of polishing a floor, and the difference. will be due to the material to be applied to the floor surface when Operating ing made in a divisional application.

Having described my invention ll claim 1. In a floor scrubbing machine the combination with a base supported at opposite sides by wheels said base extending forwardly from said wheels with its front end elevated, of a circular plate sustained at the forward elevated end of said base; a circular box supported by said plate and having a cover whereby to form a horizontal chamber; a worm-gear in said chamber; a worm having its threads exposed in said chamber and meshing with the worm gear therein; a shaft having one end rigidly connected to the w0rm-gear said shaft being provided with a lower end that has fiat sides thereon; a circular brush plate having a slot whose'walls are engaged by the flat sides of theshaft-end whereby to rotate the brush-plate but permit vertical movement between the shaft and plate, and means for revolving the worm.

bination with a base supported at opposite sides and near one end by wheels said base extending forwardly from said wheels and having its forward end elevated',.of an operating handle pivoted at opposite sides of the base adjacent the wheels said handle extending rearwardly from the wheels; means co- 2. In a floor scrubbing machine the com-- acting between the handle and base where V by the base may be rocked on the wheels by the handle to raise or lower the forward end of the base; a circular box at the forward end of the base driving means in said box said means includinga depending shaft and a' circular plate carried on the lower end of the shaft and locked to rotate therewith but movable freely in a vertical direction thereon. I

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

- WALTER S. FINNELL. I Witnesses:

W. F. CHAMBERLAIN, J. Gr. MIGKMAN. 

